Tell me about the factory panniers. Triumph is not very forthcoming with technical details. Is the mount strong? Are they built rugged enough to hold up to serious use? What is the width across the back of the bike with them mounted?

The Large? Do they have a Tiger mount now? Do you have picture of the underside/how it mounts?

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No! I have the medium top case. The large would get in the way of opening my jesse luggage.

The rack is just like everybody else's rack except the Micatech rack has holes for quick connect fasteners. The top case goes on & off in about 10 seconds. The only pic I have is if the rack without the top case. I'm not real sure what you want a pic of, but there is 4 bolts that hold the rack onto the bike. This is the only pic I can find while I'm at work.

It would have to be answered by someone who has ridden both the new Tiger 800 and a KTM LC8 (950 or 990).

How does the vibration compare between the two of them?

In between the 950 Supermoto I had and the 950 Adventure I bought I had wrist surgery. When I took the new Adventure for my first ride the last 20 miles was an agony. The frequency of the vibration just does something to the steel bar in my wrist that causes pain. It's not a motorcycle problem as I've had no trouble riding my R1200ST for 400 mile trips. Because of this the 950 is in the flea market and I'm on the lookout for something to replace it for a trip to Alaska next year.

How does the Tigger work in those loose rocky conditions? Can you tractor the motor smoothly enough to keep things under control? Does it track pretty straight or deflect easily in the rocks?

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Great questions...I have a dual sport tire on the front and a Big Block on the rear (both Kenda). I experienced some deflection on the trail, but nothing that knocked me too far off my chosen route. (In hindsight, and after talking to folks who've done that trail downhill, I am glad we rode it west-to-east...evidently going the other way is extremely treacherous!) I have never used a steering stabilizer, but I think I might try one because on the dirt roads approaching this trail I experienced what I call front-end fishtailing at higher speeds (70-80 mph). Could've been the tire too, so I'm unsure what effect a steering stabilizer might have. That probably doesn't help too much! As for the engine, it was very tractable throughout the ascent. I try to watch my gear selection carefully, as I'm only 5'5" it can sometimes be difficult to get going again after stalling on a steep uphill (short legs don't lend themselves to paddling much!). That said, I often found myself in third gear and the bike wasn't bogging at all, but second was ideal and first was sometimes required.

It would have to be answered by someone who has ridden both the new Tiger 800 and a KTM LC8 (950 or 990).

How does the vibration compare between the two of them?

In between the 950 Supermoto I had and the 950 Adventure I bought I had wrist surgery. When I took the new Adventure for my first ride the last 20 miles was an agony. The frequency of the vibration just does something to the steel bar in my wrist that causes pain. It's not a motorcycle problem as I've had no trouble riding my R1200ST for 400 mile trips. Because of this the 950 is in the flea market and I'm on the lookout for something to replace it for a trip to Alaska next year.

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I have ridden both the KTM 950 and 990, but only on test rides. I thought that both bikes were pretty smooth, but not as smooth as my DL1000 Suzuki.

The Tiger 800 redefines the word "smooth". It is the smoothest running and most vibration free motor I have ridden so far (and I have ridden and owned lots of motorcycles). If you have not test rode one, you owe it to yourself to try one.